SHOPPERS at Wickes in South Ruislip during the late 1980s may have handed cash to someone who this week admitted stealing US$250million from Nigeria.

Former cashier James Ibori, 49, siphoned funds (worth £157m) while he was governor of Nigeria's oil-rich Delta State between 1999 and 2007.

Ibori moved the stolen cash around a global network of 'offshore' tax havens - deregulated jurisdictions that allow firms to hide their accounts - and this helped him keep the fraud secret as he lived a lavish lifestyle.

Money that should have been used to improve the lives of impoverished people in Africa was instead spent on several mansions across London and a fleet of cars that included armoured Range Rovers, a Bentley and a Mercedes Maybach.

It's a remarkable story for someone who once lived in Nower Hill, Pinner, and worked for £5,000 a year at Wickes in Victoria Road.

Ibori and his wife Theresa were even convicted in 1990 for stealing from the hardware store. But when he moved back to Nigeria and started his political career, under dictator Sani Abacha, Ibori covered up his previous crimes.

He joined the ruling People's Democratic Party and, during his governorship, systematically stole funds from the public purse.

Ibori was aided by family members and business associates, who have all since been convicted in Britain. They include Mrs Ibori, 44, who was found guilty of money laundering in 2010 and jailed for five years.

London lawyer Bhadresh Gohil - currently serving 10 years in jail for his crimes - set up a myriad of offshore companies, provided false due diligence and acted as Ibori's de facto banker.

A major breakthrough in the case against Ibori came when officers from New Scotland Yard found two computer hard drives secreted in a central London office. When examined the full extent of Ibori's criminality began to unravel.

Enquiries revealed that Ibori used the money to buy a host of assets in the UK and Africa.

Ibori was first arrested by Nigerian authorities in December 2007, but a later court case in Asaba, his home town, dismissed 170 charges of corruption, saying there was no clear evidence to convict.

Attempts to rearrest him in April 2010 were unsuccessful and Ibori later fled to Dubai. He was detained there at the request of the Metropolitan Police and extradited to the UK in April 2011.

Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore, of the proceeds of corruption unit, said: "This marks the culmination of a seven-year inquiry into James Ibori's corrupt activities.

"We will now be actively seeking the confiscation of all of his stolen assets so they can be repatriated for the benefit of the people of Delta State.

"It is always rewarding for anyone working on a proceeds of corruption case to know that the stolen funds they identify will eventually be returned to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world."